The Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group works to help people whose rights have been violated and investigates cases involving such abuse, as well as assessing the overall human rights situation in Ukraine. The Group also seeks to develop awareness of human rights issues through public events and its various publications

On 28 August in electoral district No. 55 (with its centre part of Makiyivka) the first meeting of the district electoral commiision [DEC] took place. According to the commission secretary, the head of the commission, a member of the Rus Yedyna Party, Olena Kindzerska, was not answering calls and did not appear at the first meeting. The eleven members of the commission unanimously elected Natalya Terpetska, member of the commission from the Party of the Regions to chair the first meeting.

On 29 August the Central Election Commission ]CEC] removed the former head representing the Rus Yedyna Party and placed another member of the same party – Larisa Serbul in her place. The new head of the commission is a methodologist at the Makiyivka Educational Methodological Centre and has experience of working in a district electoral commission. At the last presidential elections Larisa Serbul represented the interests of candidate V.V. Protyfsikh [his name means “against everyone” – translator).

However the most interesting thing happened on 6 September. By Resolution No. 794 the CEC replaced the head of the DEC Larisa Serbul, put forward by the Rus Yedyna Party with Natalya Terpetska, put forward by the same party. Larisa Serbul was then put forward by the Party of the Regions to replace Terpetska.